"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."
Edmund Burke. What happened on this Day in History?

Monday, July 29, 2013

This Day in History: Jul 29, 1976: Son of Sam terrorizes New York

The so-called "Son of Sam" pulls a gun from a paper
bag and fires five shots at Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti of the Bronx
while they are sitting in a car, talking. Lauria died and Valenti was
seriously wounded in the first in a series of shootings by the serial
killer, who terrorized New York City over the course of the next year.

Once
dubbed the ".44 Caliber Killer," the Son of Sam eventually got his name
from letters he sent to both the police and famed newspaper writer
Jimmy Breslin that said, "...I am a monster. I am the Son of Sam. I love
to hunt, prowling the streets looking for fair game. The weman are
prettyist of all [sic]..."

The second attack came on
October 23, 1976, when a couple was shot as they sat in a car in Queens.
A month later, two girls were talking on a stoop outside a home when
the serial killer approached, asked for directions, and then suddenly
pulled a gun out and fired several shots. Joanne Lomino was paralyzed
from a bullet that struck her spine, but her friend was not seriously
injured.

The Son of Sam attacked again in January and March of
1977. In the latter attack, witnesses provided a description of the
killer: an unattractive white man with black hair. After yet another
shooting in the Bronx in April, the publicity hit a fever pitch. Women,
particularly those with dark hair, were discouraged from traveling at
night in the city.

When the Son of Sam missed his intended
victims in another murder attempt in June, vigilante groups formed
across New York City looking for the killer. His last two victims were
shot on July 31, 1977, in Brooklyn; one died. Then, police following up
on a parking ticket that had been given out that night discovered a
machine gun in a car belonging to David Berkowitz of Yonkers, New York.

When
questioned, Berkowitz explained that "Sam" was his neighbor Sam
Carr--an agent of the devil. Sam transmitted his orders through his pet
black Labrador. Years earlier, Berkowitz had shot the dog, complaining
that its barking was keeping him from sleeping. After the dog recovered,
Berkowitz claimed that it began speaking to him and demanding that he
kill people.

In an unusual sequence of events, Berkowitz was
allowed to plead guilty before claiming insanity and was sentenced to
over 300 years in prison. In prison, he later claimed to be a born-again
Christian.